Arnold & Son unveils Luna Magna Platinum Moonlight Chiaroscuro

October 2021


Arnold & Son unveils Luna Magna Platinum Moonlight Chiaroscuro

Against the grandeur of an aventurine crystal sky, the Luna Magna Platinum is revealed through select materials. The large three-dimensional moon is composed of blue aventurine and grey marble, while the time is read on a mother-of-pearl dial. The 950 platinum case completes the piece, showcasing a changing play of light that enlivens the dial and lunar sphere.

T

he moon waxes, wanes, disappears, and once again returns to light up the sky. Luna Magna, the largest and most spectacular of all moons in watchmaking, begins a new cycle within its fully polished 950 platinum case with white mother-of-pearl hour and minute sub-dial in a satin-brushed ring, and ever-changing reflections.

Centred on the moon theme so dear to Arnold & Son, Luna Magna Platinum is a limited series of only twenty-eight pieces. The smooth, understated shine and weight of the platinum give the piece a certain majesty. Set in aventurine crystal, the metallic crystals bring the dial to life with their brilliance. Half of the 12 mm three-dimensional moon is made of grey marble and the other half of aventurine crystal, reflecting the moon’s dual nature. Guided by an exclusive moon-phase complication, this chiaroscuro, this movement of the light, make the Luna Magna Platinum a living, ever-changing, fleeting yet everlasting timepiece.

Arnold & Son unveils Luna Magna Platinum Moonlight Chiaroscuro

The hours and minutes are displayed on the graduated dial with twelve Roman numerals bearing the Arnold & Son signature. This eccentric disc owes its luminosity to the slightly iridescent white mother-of-pearl, imparting a delicate quality that matches the elegant complication of the Luna Magna Platinum.

Luna Magna Platinum is based on the A&S1021 calibre, which has been fully developed and then assembled and adjusted in Switzerland. Designed around the lunar globe, the movement is hand-wound and features a 90-hour power reserve and regulating mechanism set at 3 Hz. On the back is a secondary display, with clearly legible lunations for fine adjustments.

The celestial mechanism also owes its sophisticated design to the fidelity in its astronomical accuracy. The duration of a complete lunar cycle is 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes and 2.8 seconds. Arnold & Son have succeeded in approximating this cycle such that, if the watch was never stopped, it would take 122 years for the moon-phase display to accumulate a day’s discrepancy from the correct phase. And the correction is easy, since Luna Magna Platinum’s lunar function is accessible directly from the crown. A practical solution made possible by Arnold & Son’s total mastery of the watchmaking process.

Arnold & Son unveils Luna Magna Platinum Moonlight Chiaroscuro

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Functions

  • Hours, minutes, astronomical moon-phase (correction one day in every 122 years), moon-phase indicator on back

Movement

  • Calibre A&S1021, hand-wound mechanism
  • Jewels: 35
  • Diameter: 37.60 mm
  • Height: 12.00 mm with three-dimensional moon (4.75 mm without moon)
  • Power reserve: 90 hours
  • Frequency: 3 Hz / 21,600 vph
  • Finishes: mainplate: circular-grained
  • Bridges: sunray and chamfered Côtes de Genève
  • Wheels: circular-grained satin finish
  • Screws: blued and chamfered, polished heads
  • Moon-phase indicator: circular-grained satin finish

Dial

  • Aventurine crystal
  • Hour dial: white mother-of-pearl
  • Flange: blue PVD coating

Moon

  • Diameter: 12.00 mm
  • Grey marble and aventurine crystal

Case

  • Material: platinum Pt 950
  • Diameter: 44.00 mm
  • Thickness: 15.90 mm (with crystal)
  • Crystal domed sapphire, anti-reflective coating on both sides
  • Back sapphire crystal, anti-reflective coating on both sides
  • Water resistant 30 metres/100ft

Strap

  • Material: alligator leather, blue (exterior) and dark magenta (interior), hand-stitched
  • Buckle: pin, platinum Pt950

Reference 1LMAX.A01A.C183A

Limited edition 28 pieces

Global retail price: CHF 55,900 (subject to modification) excl. tax

Arnold & Son unveils Luna Magna Platinum Moonlight Chiaroscuro